Issue tracker#

Using the issue tracker#

If you think you have found a bug in Python, you can report it to the issue tracker. The issue tracker is now hosted on GitHub, alongside the codebase and pull requests. Documentation bugs can also be reported there.

If you would like to file an issue about this devguide, please do so at the devguide repo.

Note

Prior to moving the issue tracker to GitHub, Python used to use a dedicated Roundup instance as its issue tracker. That old bug tracker was hosted under the domain bugs.python.org (sometimes called bpo for short). A read-only version is available on that domain for historical purposes. All bpo data has been migrated to the current issue tracker on GitHub.

If you’re familiar with bpo and would like to learn more about GitHub issues, please read this page, and the Triaging an issue page as they provide good introductory material. There is also a GitHub issues for BPO users document to answer some of the more popular questions.

Checking if a bug already exists#

The first step before filing an issue report is to see whether the problem has already been reported. Checking if the problem is an existing issue will:

help you see if the problem has already been resolved or has been fixed for the next release
save time for you and the developers
help you learn what needs to be done to fix it
determine if additional information, such as how to replicate the issue, is needed

To see if an issue already exists, search the bug database using the search box above the list of bugs on the issues page. A form-based advanced search query builder is also available on GitHub to help creating the text query you need.

Reporting an issue#

If the problem you’re reporting is not already in the issue tracker, you can report it using the green “New issue” button on the right of the search box above the list of bugs. If you’re not already signed in to GitHub, it will ask you to do so now.

First you need to select what kind of problem you want to report. The available choices are:

Bug report: an existing feature isn’t working as expected;
Documentation: there is missing, invalid, or misleading documentation;
Enhancement: suggest a new feature for Python;
Performance: something should work faster;
Security: there is a specific kind of weakness open to exploitation through the points of vulnerability;
Tests: something is wrong with CPython’s suite of regression tests;
Discuss: you’d like to learn more about Python, discuss ideas for possible changes to future Python versions, track core development discussions, or join a specific special-interest group.

Depending on your choice, a dedicated form template will appear. In particular, you’ll notice that the last button actually takes you to the Python Discourse (discuss.python.org), where many Python-related discussions take place.

The submission form has only two fields that you need to fill:

in the Title field, enter a very short description of the problem; less than ten words is good;
in the Write field, describe the problem in detail using hints from the template that was put in that field for you. Be sure to include what you expected to happen, what did happen, and how to replicate the problem. Be sure to include whether any extension modules were involved, and what hardware and software platform you were using (including version information as appropriate). In particular, what version of Python you were using.

You can tag someone, with @username in a comment, if you think the issue should be brought to their attention. Use the Experts index to know who wants to be tagged or assigned for specific areas.

There are a number of additional fields like Assignees, Labels, and Projects. Those are filled by triagers and core developers and are covered in the Triaging an issue page. You don’t need to worry about those when reporting issues as a Python user.

Adding special links#

The following abbreviations can be used in a comment to generate a link:

GH-NNN: to link to another issue or PR;
PEP-NNN: to link to a specific PEP;
BPO-NNN: to link to a bugs.python.org issue;

Following issues#

If you want to subscribe yourself to an issue, click the 🔔 Subscribe button in the sidebar. Similarly, if you were tagged by somebody else but decided this issue is not for you, click the 🔕 Unsubscribe button in the sidebar. Note that you are automatically subscribed to issues you created.

Tracking dependencies and duplicates#

It is possible to use checklists to track dependencies or, in case of meta-issues, to link to the other related issues.

By writing Duplicate of #NNN in a comment, you can mark issues and PRs as duplicates.

Disagreement with a resolution on the issue tracker#

As humans, we will have differences of opinions from time to time. First and foremost, please be respectful that care, thought, and volunteer time went into the resolution.

With this in mind, take some time to consider any comments made in association with the resolution of the issue. On reflection, the resolution steps may seem more reasonable than you initially thought.

If you still feel the resolution is incorrect, then raise a thoughtful question on the Core Development Discourse category. Further argument and disrespectful responses after a consensus has been reached amongst the core developers is unlikely to win any converts.

As a reminder, issues closed by a core developer have already been carefully considered. Please do not reopen a closed issue. An issue can be closed with reason either as complete or not planned.